Balapur Town
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts.Many units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
Balapur Town
Head-quarters of the taluk of the same name in Akola District, Berar, situated in 20 40' N. and 76 50' E., 6 miles south of Puras station on the Great Indian Peninsula Railway. Population (1901), 10,486. The Mun river divides the town from the peth or suburb. Balapur was the chief military station of the Mughals in Berar after Ellichpur ; and at a distance of a few miles from the town Akbar's son, Sultan Murad, founded Shahpur, now in ruins. Balapur is mentioned in the Ain-i-Akbarl as one of the richest parganas in Berar.
Muhammad Azam Shah, third son of Aurangzeb, is said to have resided here and to have built a mud fort. Close to the town Asaf Jah defeated (July, 1720) the imperial forces dispatched against him by the Saiyids, after a severe engagement in which his famous Deccan artillery decided the day. The present fort of Balapur is the largest and strongest in Berar, the hill forts of the Melghat excepted. It was completed in 1757 by Ismail Khan, first Nawab of Ellichpur, and consists of an inner and outer fort, the former rising by the whole height of its walls above the latter. The outer or lower fort is a decagon, with a bastion at each angle, and the inner is a pentagon, the angles of which likewise terminate in bastions. Both forts are entered by Mughal gateways. The chhatri, or pavilion, of Raja Jai Singh, a commander of 4,000 horse in the reign of Shah Jahan, and afterwards one of Aurang- zeb's best generals, stands apart from the fort overlooking the river.
It is a graceful building of black stone, 38 feet high, on a high plinth. A fine flight of steps formerly led down to the river, but these have been washed away during the last thirty years. The Jama Masjid, once a fine building 90 feet long, but now a ruin, dates from 1623. The woven manufactures, formerly in high repute, are at present little sought after, and the importance of the town is declining.
